Christmas Facts, History and Statistics for 2026

With Christmas just around the corner, I am sure you are all running around buying and wrapping presents, cooking and traveling all over creation. I am in the same boat, but I thought it may be interesting to take a quick break and reflect on the holiday itself. For a holiday we spend so much time thinking about all year, there is still much we don’t know about it.

Christmas History

• Date of the first Christmas: December 25, 336 in Rome
• Year the first Christmas card was sent: 1611
• From 1647-1660, Christmas was banned in England by the Puritans
• Year that mistletoe was first associated with Christmas: The 18th century
• First time Christmas was a bank holiday: 1834 in the UK
• First US State to recognize Christmas: Alabama in 1836
• Year of the first commercial Christmas card: 1843
• Year Christmas became a US Federal holiday: 1870
• Year the candy cane was first associated with Christmas: 1874

Christmas Facts and Stats

• Percentage of Americans that celebrate Christmas: 82%
• Percentage of US Christmas gift buyers that make “most” of their purchases online: 64%
• Average amount Americans spend on holiday gifts: $1,014
• Average amount the British spend on holiday gifts: $522.56
• Percentage of Americans that send Christmas cards: 73%
• Percentage of Americans that see Christmas as a religious holiday: 51%
• Number of Christmas cards purchased annually: 1.3 billion
• Amount it would cost if you purchased everything in the 12 Days of Christmas: $49,263.47
• Poinsettias are originally from Mexico and were first brought to the US in 1825 by Joel Poinsett.

Christmas Tree History

• First recorded Christmas Tree: 1576 in Turckheim, Alsace
• Year the Christmas tree was introduced in the UK: 1832
• Year the Christmas tree was introduced in the US: 1850
• Year of the first known electrically-lit Christmas tree: 1882
• Year of the first lit US National Christmas Tree: 1923
• Year of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: 1933

Christmas Tree Facts and Stats

• Number of real Christmas trees sold in the US annually: 21.6 million
• Number of Christmas tree farms in the US: 16,000
• Number of Christmas trees growing in the US: 350 million
• Percentage of Americans that put up a Christmas tree: 75%
• Largest exporter of Christmas trees in the world: Canada
• Amount of land in the US that is dedicated to growing Christmas trees: 456 square miles

Santa Claus History

• When and Where did Saint Nicholas live: 4th century in Turkey
• First appearance of Father Christmas: 16th century
• Year “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (Twas the Night Before Christmas) was first published: 1823
• Year that the name ‘Kris Kringle’ was popularized: 1845
• First use of the name “Santa Claus” in the American press: 1773
• First appearance of Santa Claus in a Christmas parade: 1890
• Year that the editorial “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” was first published: 1897
• First appearance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: 1939
• Year that NORAD began tracking Santa Claus: 1955
• When was Mrs Claus popularized? 1950’s and 60’s

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer History

• Rudolph’s first appearance: 1939 in a Robert May book.
• Year that Johnny Marks’ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song, sung by Gene Autry, was released: 1949
• Publication of Rudolph sequel Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Shines Again: 1954
• Year the Johnny Marks song Run Rudolph Run, sung by Chuck Berry, was released: 1958
• Year the Rudolph Little Golden Book was released: 1958
• Year the Rankin/Bass claymation Rudolph television special first aired: 1964 on NBC
  • Subsequent Rankin/Bass Specials: Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976) and Christmas in July (1979)
• Year Rudolph first appears on a US postage stamp: 2014

Classic Christmas Movies With Release Dates:

• Babes in Toyland – 1934; 1961 (Disney version)
• Scrooge – 1935, 1951, 1970
• A Christmas Carol – 1938, 1971, 2009
• Holiday Inn – 1943
• The Bells of St Mary’s – 1945
• It’s a Wonderful Life – 1946
• Miracle on 34th Street – 1947
• White Christmas – 1954
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – 1964
• A Charlie Brown Christmas – 1965
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas – 1966
• The Little Drummer Boy – 1968
• Frosty the Snowman – 1969
• Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – 1970
• The Year Without Santa Claus – 1974
• Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas – 1977
• A Christmas Story – 1983
• Mickey’s Christmas Carol – 1983
• Die Hard – 1988
• Scrooged – 1988
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – 1989
• Home Alone – 1990
• Home Alons 2: Lost in New York – 1992
• The Muppet Christmas Carol – 1992
• The Nightmare Before Christmas – 1993
• The Nutcracker – 1993
• The Santa Clause – 1994
• Dr Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – 2000
• Elf – 2003
• The Polar Express – 2004
• The Holiday – 2006
• The Grinch – 2018

Classic Modern Christmas Songs:

• Santa Claus is Coming to Town – 1934
• Winter Wonderland – 1934
• Carol of the Bells – 1936
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – 1939
• White Christmas – 1940
• The Little Drummer Boy – 1941
• The Christmas Song – 1944
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – 1944
• Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! – 1945
• Here Comes Santa Claus – 1947
• Sleigh Ride – 1948
• Baby It’s Cold Outside – 1948
• Happy Holiday – 1948
• All I want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth – 1948
• Frosty the Snowman – 1950
• Silver Bells – 1950
• The Man With the Bag – 1950
• It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – 1951
• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – 1952
• Santa Baby – 1953
• Up on the House Top – 1953
• I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas – 1953
• There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays- 1954
• Jingle Bell Rock – 1957
• Blue Christmas – 1957
• The Chipmunk Song (Alvin and the Chipmunks) – 1958
• Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – 1958
• Run Rudolph Run – 1958
• Must be Santa – 1960
• Dominick the Donkey – 1960
• Do You Hear What I Hear – 1962
• It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – 1963
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – 1963
• A Holly Jolly Christmas – 1964
• Little Saint Nick – 1964
• Silver & Gold – 1964
• Christmas Time is Here (Charlie Brown) – 1965
• My Favorite Things – 1965
• You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch – 1966
• We Need a Little Christmas – 1966
• Snoopy’s Christmas – 1967
• Feliz Navidad – 1970
• Happy Christmas (War is Over) – 1971
• Step Into Christmas – 1973
• Please Come Home for Christmas – 1978
• Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer – 1979
• Wonderful Christmastime – 1979
• Same Old Lang Syne – 1980
• Last Christmas – 1984
• Do they Know its Christmas? – 1984
• Christmas in Hollis – 1987
• All I Want for Christmas is You – 1994
• 12 Pains of Christmas – 1994
• My Only Wish This Year – 2000
• Where Are you Christmas? – 2000
• Believe – 2004